June 30, 2011
Kelly Bensimon: Cirque Du Soleil "Zarkana"
Kelly Killoren Bensimon attendeded the opening night of Cirque Du Soleil "Zarkana" at Radio City Music Hall on June 29, 2011 in New York City. Also pictured, daughter Sea Bensimon.
Credit: Wire Image (G. Gershoff)
Jill Zarin: Cirque Du Soleil "Zarkana" Opening
Jill Zarin attends the opening night of Cirque Du Soleil "Zarkana" at Radio City Music Hall on June 29, 2011 in New York City.
Credit: Wire Image (G. Gershoff)
Countess LuAnn "Chic C'est La Vie" Music Video
On Tuesday night, Countess LuAnn de Lesseps held a party at Bar Basque to celebrate the release of her new music video for her single "Chic C'est La Vie" and now us fans get to check it out.
The video features her and her "Real Housewives of New York City" co-stars Jill Zarin and Kelly Bensimon driving around in a limo, sipping champagne poolside, and hanging out in a club.
Take a look and let us know what you think of her video!
It's fabulous!I'd rather be "Tardy For The Party!"Sonja Morgan: Cirque Du Soleil "Zarkana"
Sonja Morgan attends the opening night of Cirque Du Soleil "Zarkana" at Radio City Music Hall on June 29, 2011 in New York City.
Credit: Wire Image (G. Gershoff)
Countess LuAnn: Cirque Du Soleil "Zarkana"
Countess Luann de Lesseps attends the opening night of Cirque Du Soleil "Zarkana" at Radio City Music Hall on June 29, 2011 in New York City.
Credit: Wire Image (G. Gershoff)
June 29, 2011
Kelly Bensimon Attends Music Video Premiere
Kelly Bensimon attends Countess Luann De Lesseps' Music Video Premiere hosted by Life & Style Weekly at Bar Basque on June 28, 2011 in New York City.
Credit: Wire Image (M. Coppola & N. Barnard)
Cindy Barshop Attends Music Video Premiere
Cindy Barshop attends Countess Luann De Lesseps' Music Video Premiere hosted by Life & Style Weekly at Bar Basque on June 28, 2011 in New York City.
Credit: Wire Image (N. Barnard)
Jill Zarin Attends Countess' Music Video Premiere
Jill Zarin attends Countess Luann De Lesseps' Music Video Premiere hosted by Life & Style Weekly at Bar Basque on June 28, 2011 in New York City.
Credit: Wire Image (N. Barnard & M. Coppola)
LuAnn De Lesseps At Her Music Video Premiere
Countess Luann De Lesseps attends her Music Video Premiere hosted by Life & Style Weekly at Bar Basque on June 28, 2011 in New York City. Also pictured, boyfriend Jacques Azoulay.
Credit: Wire Image (N. Barnard & M. Coppola)
June 28, 2011
Vicki Gunvalson To Appear On "Clean House"
Photo Credit: Bravo TV
"Real Housewives of Orange County" star Vicki Gunvalson will be a special guest advisor on Style Network's "Clean House: Messiest Home in the Country 5". Her episode will take place at a home in Richmond, Virginia.
Tune in to see what Vicki has to say about this messy home when "Clean House" airs tomorrow night, Wednesday, June 29, at 9/8c.
Bethenny Frankel Dishes On Skinnygirl Cleanse
Credit: Wire Image (Pimentel)
Bethenny Frankel has been all about creating her business since we first met her years ago on Real Housewives of New York. Now, she is adding the celebrity popular 'daily cleanse' to her line of Skinnygirl products.
"I wanted to create a product that was gentle on the stomach -- not extreme and hard -- that women could do every single day of the year," Frankel told Us Weekly. "The formula is packed with greens and fiber so it de-bloats you and keeps things moving."
"It's an all year-round health product," she said. "My fans know I'm not into gimmicks, so no one is losing 40 pounds on this. It's made to be part of your life so you can be overall healthy."
The product is called Skinnygirl Daily Cleanse & Restore and is available on Frankel's website for $59.99 (30 packets).
The Singer Family: Hamptons Golf Classic VII
Ramona Singer, Mario Singer and Avery Singer attend the Hamptons Golf Classic VII at Hampton Hills Golf & Country Club on June 27, 2011 in Riverhead, New York.
Credit: Wire Image (E. Gologursky)
Sonja Morgan: Broadway Sings For Pride
Sonja Morgan attended the Broadway Sings for Pride: A Benefit Concert at the LGBT Center on June 27, 2011 in New York City.
Credit: Wire Image (Spellman)
Kim Granatell Attends Basketball Wives Premiere
Photo Credit: 4Sixty6
Real Housewives of New Jersey's Kim Granatell stopped by 4Sixty6 in West Orange, New Jersey last night for the Basketball Wives official season premiere party. Also pictured, Tom Murro.
Brussels - a commune in Anderlecht
The sun was shining for our second day in Brussels (see our first day here.) Our friends decided to take us to Anderlecht, one of the nineteen municipalities located within Brussels. It is officially bilingual – French and Flemish. There, we were to visit a “béguinage” (French) or “begijnhof” (Flemish) which is a collection of small houses where “béguines” lived centuries ago.
Following a narrow path we entered the museum. A very friendly docent first explained the history of the béguinage to us. During the Middle Ages adult women were expected to live under the care of a man, as wife and mother, or in a convent as a nun. After the Crusades many women were left alone as widows without a man’s protection. Béguinage were set up for them - they were usually within a walled enclosure, close to a church, containing little houses, gardens, etc. These were Catholic lay religious communities. There was no mother-house, nor common general rule, every community of béguines fixed their own living regulations – they were medieval communes, if you will, or a sisterhood. Rich or poor women could enter a béguinage. A béguine was not a nun and took no vows. She did not renounce her property, but could return to the world and wed if she wished.
Portrait of a Béguine, Hans Holbein the Younger, German, 1497-1543Some béguinage were large, such as the great béguinage in Ghent, Belgium, with thousands living there or small like the béguinage in Anderlecht, where we were visiting. Actually this was the smallest béguinage in Belgium occupied by only eight béguines. The Anderlecht béguinage consists of a collection of small houses built between 1252 and the 18th century. The béguines had direct access to the nearby Church of St. Guidon, built in the 16th century.
Click on collage to enlarge then click on each individual picture
Click on collage to enlarge then click on each individual pictureThe Béguinage Museum opened in 1938 and documents the life of the béguines. Everything was calm in the garden. The tiny houses with their turquoise windows facing the garden and the well were delightful.
a room for lace-workers
a “bollewinkel” or delicacy store
and a small bedroom.
Then we walked into the left wing which had larger rooms for richer béguines.
We could also see, behind a glass window, a private chapel for the eight beguines. Béguines in the Low Countries were a religious group of women dedicated to charity and chastity but since they existed without men the Church did not approve of them – they had too much freedom and were suspect. Some were persecuted.
I liked looking out of the windows and think of the béguines, imagining them behind those same windows looking outside toward the sunny garden – did they feel entirely safe?
Upstairs, on the second floor there was a baby bed, an old stove, an old game,
other ancient objects that were found during archeological digs
as well as some colorful drawings of life in the area
and paintings without the names of the artists.
There were also some old photographs showing the history of Anderlecht, which is now the westernmost municipality of Brussels and the only one with some rural areas. But I did not take their pictures as we had to leave. I took a last look at the roses in the garden.
Years ago I remember seeing another béguinage, called Begijnhof, in Amsterdam, Holland. It was larger, not a museum, and now is owned by a church.
Begijnhof in Amsterdam, Holland (Wikipedia photo)The small béguinage of Anderlecht had been fun to visit. This little semi-monastic commune is a little peaceful haven in Brussels, the dynamic European capital. While reading the history of Anderlecht I found out that one of my favorite singers, when I was in France, had lived there. Jacques Brel (1929-1978) a popular francophone singer, lived in Anderlecht from 1942 to 1951 and worked in his parents' factory there from 1946 to 1953. Jacques Brel was one of the greatest songwriters of all time. He wrote many songs, directed and acted. He was a musical genius, really.
Jacques Brel (unknown photo owner)I remember listening to his songs, again and again. One of his songs “Marieke” was in French and Flemish. I loved that song so much that I decided then, if ever I had a daughter, I would give her that name. Indeed, when my eldest daughter was born in San Francisco, her 3rd name is Marieke. She carries a little bit of Belgium in her.
